No Glenrothes properties at risk of flooding for 200 years study reveals

Dr. Rick Haynes, Fife’s lead consultant for Flooding, Shoreline & Harbours, presented the Glenrothes Flood Study summary report to the Council Area Committee on Wednesday.

“It’s a short paper,” Mr Haynes said. “The study found that there are minor minimal flood impacts and no properties at risk all the way up to 200 years plus climate change.”

Amey Consulting was contracted to complete the Glenrothes specific study after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published high level, strategic flood maps for Fife.

“The SEPA flood models that created the need for this study used different assessment criteria,” Mr Haynes explained.

“We’ve said that, actually, if you put more detail and a more local area specific assessment in place we don’t highlight any properties at risk in Glenrothes.”

However, two locations were identified where infrastructure (roads, bridges and other transport routes) were potentially at risk.

Glenwood Road and the upstream Northall Cemetery floodplain were listed as two potential flood risk areas, but the report has not suggested any actions be taken forward.

“With our limited budgets we’d rather focus on mitigating property impacts where people are out of their houses for a longer period of time,” he said.

“Roads will flood and subside, it’s more transient and the damage criteria is very different.”

Minor flood prevention works classed as ‘maintenance expenditure’ have been recommended as part of the Glenrothes flood report.

Upstream Riverside Park and upstream of Balbirnie Bridge were put forward for ‘watercourse maintenance’

Riverside Park, Ballo Reservoir, Holl Reservoir and Loch Leven were shortlisted for control structure maintenance works.

Mr Haynes explained that these maintenance works might include things like silt management, biodiversity and maintaining flood flows.